Sheet material handling device



June 28, 1966 M. HADDAD 3,257,978

SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1964 #4 I I a INVENTOR.

MANUEL HADDAD ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,257,978 SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE Manuel Haddad, Teziutlan, Puebla, Mexico Filed June 3, 1964, Ser. No. 372,296 5 Claims. (Cl. 112-2) This invention relates in general to fabric material handling devices and in particular to such a device in combination with a sewing machine and Work table whereby a supply of pieces of fabric material to be sewed may be positioned in suitable relation to the operator of the machine and the sewing machine itself and one by one each piece of material is manually placed into position for sewing and then by air pressure caused to be moved from sewing position to a position clear of the operator and sewing machine preparatory to introducing the next piece of material into sewing position.

In production sewing it is extremely desirable that the movements of the sewingmachine operator be limited to the minimum necessary to accomplish the sewing operation. Production sewing usually involves performing exactly the same operation over and over again, such as attaching labels, ornaments, pockets, or zippers, etc., and one of the steps in production sewing is the feeding and removing of the pieces of material on which the sewing process is to be performed, such as the attaching of the label or the like.

This .application does not cover the automatic feeding of the pieces of material to be sewed but does-contemplate a quick and easy arrangement for removing each piece of material from sewing position by causing a downwardly directed jet of air to strike the fabric to remove same from under the presser foot of the sewing machine.

With this general idea in mind it is the primary object of my invention to provide a fabric handling arrange- 3,257,978 Patented June 28, 1966 an opening 6' in the housing 4 and may be held along one edge 7 by the spring urged clamping member 8. The top9 of the material holding device or housing 4 may receive the material 6 which is initially layed on said top prior to performing the sewing operation.

A downwardly directed air jet nozzle 10 is located above the aperture 5 and a conduit 11 leads from the jet nozzle to a compressed air supply. (not shown). A valve 12 may be provided in the. conduit 11 with a pivoted knee actuated valve control 13 working against plunger 14 of the valve. The strength of the air jet may be regulated by adjustment member 15 and the knee contact member 16 is vertically adjustable by member 17 on rod 18. A bracket 19 secured to the underside of the table 1 may support the valve 12 and form a pivot able top 9, the operator takes the top sheet of material and moves it into position under the presser foot 20 and then takes a label (not shown), or any other article such as a pocket or the like and places same in proper position on the sheet of material, then lowering the presser foot and completing the sewing operation.

When the operator has sewn on the label or the like to one piece of material he opens the valve 12 by pressing his knee against the valve control 13 and causes a jet of air to discharge from the nozzle 10 against the sheet of material 6, forcing it downwardly into the aperture 5 of the table. This operation is practically instantaneous in its removal of the sheet of material, and it does not require the use of the operators hands. Simultaneously with the air jet removal of a sheet of material the operator can reach for another piece of ment for sewing machines wherein a supply of single,

It is another object of my invention to provide an open space or aperture between the stack of sheets of material and the sewing machine to receive each sheet of material as it gravitates after the sewing operation is completed.

And one more object of my invention is to provide an air jet positioned in suitable operating relation to each individual sheet of material as it lies in position between the sewing machine and its secured edge, and a suitable control for said air jet, whereby the operator, at will, may direct a strong jet of air against said sheet of material and quickly and simply remove said sheet of material from under the presser foot.

Other objects and advantages as well as the construction and operation of my invention will be apparent by reference to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

The figure is an elevational view, partly in section showing a sewing machine on a work table with a fabric holder and a supply of sheets of fabric in several stages of the process.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 1 designates a work table of any suitable material and with legs or supports 2. A sewing machine 3 is supported by the table and spaced therefrom is the material holding device or housing 4, an aperture 5 being provided in the table between the machine and material holding device.

A plurality of sheets of material 6 may pass through material with one hand and a label with the other to place both in proper sequence under the presser foot,

making for an extremely rapid and easy procedure for high speed production sewing.

When a batch of pieces of material is completed, the entire batch is removed simultaneously and a new supply is placed in position under the clamp member 8. As the material is uniformly shaped and placed in clamped position, each sheet of material will always be the same distance from the presser foot and with the proper side up so that there need be no variation in the operation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a new and novel arrangement for the handling of material to be sewed under high speed production conditions wherein a supply of sheets of material to be sewed is removably clamped in position adjacent anaperture in a work table, individual sheets of material are manually placed in sewing position and when the label or the like is sewn into place the operator by manipulating a knee action lever member will open a valve to send a high pressure air jet against the finished sheet of material to force it downwardly into the aperture in the work table, leaving the sewing machine clear for the manual application of the next sheet of material.

It is obvious that changes in form, proportion and details of construction may be resorted to and I reserve all rights to such changes as come within the scope of these specifications and the claims which follow.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a sewing machine, a material handling device for use with a plurality of sheets of fabric or the like, a fabric holding means spaced from the sewing machine, said space providing an aperture between i the sewing machine and the fabric holding means for reception of sheets of fabric, a downwardly directed air jet means positioned above the aperture, air pressure means connected to the air jet means, a valve between the air pressure means and the air jet means, manual means operable by the sewing machine operator for opening said valve to direct a jet of air against a sheet of fabric lying between the sewing machine and the fabric holding means and adapted to force said sheet of fabric downwardly into said aperture.

2. The structure as specified in claim 1, said fabric holding means adapted to engage the fabric sheets along one edge thereof, the opposite edge and remainder of the material being free for manipulation by the sewing machine operator, said jet means being adapted to force the free edge and remainder of the fabric sheet downwardly by the jet of air.

3. The structure as specified in claim 1, said fabric holding means including a spring-urged member adapted to be forcibly pressed against the sheets of fabric.

4. The structure as specified in claim 1, said fabric holding means including a housing, said housing being provided with an open end facing the sewing machine, said housing being adapted to receive one edge of each sheet of fabric, and a fabric clamping member in the housing adapted to engage the edges of the sheets of fabric passing through said open end, said housing being adapted to receive all of the sheets of fabric doubled back over the top thereof at the commencement of the sewing operation, whereby the operator may place one end of the sheets of material one by one in sewing position on the sewing machine, the manual valve opening means being adapted to be operated by the sewing machine operator at the end of each sewing operation to cause a jet of air to force the finished sheet of material downwardly into the aperture between the sewing machine and the fabric holding means.

5. The structure as specified in claim 1, said manual valve operating means comprising a pivoted knee contact member adapted to be operated by the knee of the sewing machine operator.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,271,937 2/1942 Engels 214 1 2,355,556 8/1944 Peterson 2l41 2,423,996 7/1947 Rubel 1l2218 2,522,811 9/1950 Bishop et al. 1122 2,630,772 3/1953 Ederer 112--2 2,722,903 11/ 1955 Larkin 1122 3,170,423 2/1965 Henebry 1122 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

J. R. BOLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SEWING MACHINE, A MATERIAL HANDLING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A PLURALITY OF SHEETS OF FABRIC OR THE LIKE, A FABRIC HOLDING MEANS SPACED FROM THE SEWING MACHINE, SAID SPACE PROVIDING AN APERTURE BETWEEN THE SEWING MACHINE AND THE FABRIC HOLDING MEANS FOR RECEPTION OF SHEETS OF FABRIC, A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED AIR JET MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE THE APERTURE, AIR PRESSURE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE AIR JET MEANS, A VALVE BETWEEN 